Daring Greatly

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again...who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worse, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly."

Theodore Roosevelt

The concept of 'daring greatly' is one I try and inspire in my patients on a daily basis. When patients who are in pain come in for treatment I try to elevate them to new heights of committment to their recovery. When smokers are trying to quit, hypertensive patients are trying to lose weight and when patients who have sustained some injury in the course of their work, I try to help focus them to move the patients to a successful conclusion to their problem. Getting our 'game face' on as we turn and walk back into the fire to face more bullets is important in the healing process.

Too often in life, we all get dragged down by misery and drudgery especially when struggling with a health issue. It is part of the doctor's job to prescribe treatment to be sure but our patients rise to the challenge and succeed much better when they are infused with a do-or-die attitude and a fighting spirit.

The next time your doctor starts you on a medication, fixes a laceration or tells you that you have a new health challenge to overcome, remember that there is some fight in you and that going down swinging is better than just going down quietly.

Once more into the breach, dear friends!